Improvement in sleeping-car berths



P. O. HILLS. Sleeping-Oar Berth.

Patented May 20,1879.

INVENTOR BY f6}.

ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES:

' N. PEIERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WAsHINGmNv n, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK O. HILLS, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEPING-CAR BERTHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,618, dated May 20, 1879; application filed January 30, 1879.

the cars are overthrown or other accidents occur.

The invention consists in a hinged berth provided with folding guard and stop, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an upper sleeping-berth with guard in position; and Fig. 2 isa crosssection of the berth, its various positions indicated by dotted lines.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the section of a sleeping-car, the upper part, B, forming a pocket, into which the upper berth is folded. 0 represents the upper berth hinged at the back to the side of the car, and supported at either end near the front by a jointed and pivoted link, a, which allows it to be thrown up in the pocket provided for it. To the front b of the berth, near each end, on the inside, are fixed studs 0 c. D represents the guard, formed of horizontal rails joined to standards (I, pivoted at their lowerends to the studs 0 c at the level of the upper side of the mattress. This guard, when the berth is occupied, is turned to an upright posi tion, as shown in Fig. 1, and in dotted lines (1 in Fig. 2, and thus prevents the occupant from rolling out; but when the berth is thrown up into the pocket it is turned down into a horizontal position, as shown at e in Fig. 2.

In case of an accident, when the berth is occupied and the guard up, whereby the berth is thrown up, the upper ends of the standards (I abut against the lugs or stopsf, fixed in the pocket in position to receive them, and thus prevent the berth from closing up and shutting the occupant in, as shown by the solid lines in Fig. 2.

The guard furnishes an efficient protection against the occupants of sleeping-car berths and steamer-berths being thrown out, and, in addition, it prevents the berths of sleepingcars shutting up when occupied, and thus affords a perfect safeguard against accidents of that nature occurring in railway-collisions, &c.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A sleeping-berth, (J, pivoted at one side and provided with a folding guard at the other, in combination with and working against a stop, f, on the upper part of sleeping-car, as and for the purpose specified.

FREDERICK CLARK HILLS. 

